“I want to say thank you to the fans,” Lankford said. “When you play hard and work hard, fans appreciate it. The St. Louis fans know the game. You’re talking about generation after generation of season ticket holders, and they appreciate the guys who work hard and go out there day in and day out.”

He says he was a guy who didn’t talk a lot and who tried to lead by his performance on the field.

Lankford says he always liked trying to throw guys out at the plate, but one of his fondest memories was his collision with Darren Daulton to win a game back in 1991. He remembered: “It was a hot day. It was one of those days you wanted to get off the field and get back into the dugout.”

Lankford hit more home runs (123) at Busch Stadium II than any other player, and says he took pride in being able to hit left-handed pitchers.

“It would help me get out of slumps by thinking about driving the ball to left field,” Lankford says.

Lankford also reminisced about playing with former Cardinals like Mark McGwire, Jim Edmonds, Reggie Sanders, Ozzie Smith, and Brian Jordan – saying he always enjoyed picking their brains on how they approached the game.

The 2018 Cardinals Hall of Fame voting will begin on March 1 and close on April 12. The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held on Saturday, August 18, at Ballpark Village.